
Strokes, Swipes and Sweeps: Movement in Contemporary Still Life Paintings
Still Life is a class of paintings that goes back centuries, with well-known artists including Monet, Picasso, and Van Gogh. The subject of still life paintings has changed over time, but still life is still an imperative part of contemporary art. And one of the most important aspects of still life paintings is movement. While that may sound counterintuitive, it is absolutely true.
Movement in a painting can be described in many different ways. It can be the aspect that draws the eye to the subject of the painting or the sense of change within the painting that draws you through and makes the painting more active rather than passive. However it is described, movement brings a still life painting to life.
Taking a look at some still life works from modern artists, it is clear that the...